Paranoia
by MonkeyGirlxoxo
Summary: A paranoid Namine moves to Twilight Town to try and escape her haunting past. What happens when she meets a carefree Roxas? Will he help her get over her paranoia or will she make him paranoid as well? Roxine!
1. Chapter 1

**Here is the first chapter of my new story "Paranoia"**

**I hope you guys like it! :) And forgive me for any typos. :P**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN KINGDOM HEARTS **

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**Paranoia**

_**By: MonkeyGirlxoxo**_

**Chapter #1**

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A tired 20 year old stood outside her new home. There were about five workmen behind the petite blond, each holding boxes that were filled with her belongings.

"Miss. Kibou?" One of the men called from behind the woman.

She jumped from the sound of the deep voice and turned around to face the workers. She quickly looked back and forth between all of the mens' faces, trying to find the one who had called her name.

"Miss. Kibou." The man in the front called again.

The cerulean eyed woman looked at him, showing him that he had her attention.

"Do you need any help?" He asked. "You've been struggling with that lock for the last ten minutes."

It was true, Miss. Naminé Kibou was having difficulties with the lock on the front door. No it was not because the lock was defective, or because the key wasn't shaped right. It was because Naminé was scared she might turn the key the wrong way and break the lock. What if the key needed to turn right, but she turned it left? And so she had wasted ten minutes of the poor workers time with her...dilemma.

"So, do you need any help?" He asked again.

The blond shook her head, and then turned back to face the white front door. That was another thing she was scared of, socialization. She stuffed the key in the lock and turned it to the left. She was still scared she might break the lock, but she would rather have a broken front door than have to talk to someone else.

When the door made a clicking noise, Naminé sighed a breath of relief. She then turned the golden doorknob, and opened the door. She entered the empty house slowly, looking over the tan walls and wooden flooring again and again. The workers entered the house behind her, placing the brown boxes on the floor. Naminé stood to the side, watching the workers carefully making sure that they did not damage any of her possessions. After about fifteen minutes of watching men come in and out her new house, Naminé payed them their money. She quickly gave the men about $200 and then shooed them out of her house. Once all of the workers had left, she breathed a sigh of relief. She was finally alone. Naminé carefully walked towards the large pile of brown boxes in the middle of her soon to be front foyer. She gently opened the box by pulling off the long pieces of masking tape and picked up one of her ornaments. This was going to be a long day.

**~~~Kingdom Hearts~~~**

A bed-headed 21 year old walked down the grey sidewalk. A slim red skateboard was being held loosely in one hand as the other swayed with each step. The young man threw his head back and closed his eyes letting the warm sunlight kiss his face. Even with his eyes closed the blond knew exactly where to go. He turned the corner and continued down the sidewalk. He was almost home. He just needed to pass the park and then turn another corner, that would lead him to the familiar street where his house was.

He started to whistle a low tune to himself as he brought his head back down. His eyes remained closed and his whistling starting to grow louder.

_**"Eeep!"**_

The man's blue eyes opened from the strange sound and his tune hit a high note in surprise. A young woman had fallen through the bushes that were planted on the side of the concrete walkway. She lay face down on the ground, her pale blonde hair covering the sides of her face.

Dropping his skateboard, the 21 year old ran towards the female on the ground. "Are you alright?" He asked. He was about to help the fragile woman to her feet, but she quickly picked herself up from the floor. She sat on the ground and pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them soon after.

The messy haired man was about to ask the woman if she was okay, but soon realized the look of horror on her face. Her cerulean eyes were focused on something just behind the male. He turned around, ready to defend himself and the woman behind him. When the young man found himself staring at a small brown squirrel he fought to keep in a chuckle. He turned to face the woman and then turned to face the squirrel again. It was then that he realized the rodent was holding a slim wooden pencil in its small mouth. Raising his eyebrows in confusion he looked at the woman again.

"Is that pencil yours?" The woman looked at him, her eyes larger than before. She just stared at him, arguing with herself if she should answer at all. After a small debate within her head, Naminé finally nodded.

The man got up from his position on the ground and walked towards the squirrel. He lifted his hand near the rodent's mouth, causing a squeak to escape from the blonde behind him.

He smiled to himself from her childish response and then tugged on the pencil lightly which was still in the squirrel's mouth. The small animal seemed to understand what he wanted and dropped the pencil at the young man's feet. The rodent ran away into the bushes, leaving the two young blonds alone on the sidewalk.

The bed-headed man picked up the pencil and twirled it over in his hands. There were two small bite marks, but other than that the pencil seemed fine. It was then the male realized the two words scribbled on the side of the brush.

"Naminé Kibou." He read it so quietly he almost couldn't hear it himself. He turned around and saw the woman staring at him with curious eyes. She noticed his eyes on her and ducked her face, which was now red, out of his sight. The young man chuckled again from her behaviour, but never tore his eyes away from the woman in front of him. He walked towards her and bent down. He then extended his hand holding the pencil out to her and spoke.

"Here you go, Miss. Kibou." He said smiling.

Naminé gasped in shock. _How does he know...?_ She thought. Her eyes travelled from the man's face down to the pencil in his hand. She saw her name written in thin black ink and her heart's beating slowed as she began to relax. She loosened one hand from its hold around her legs and reached out towards her pencil. It was then that she remembered **_he_ **was holding the writing utensil. She pulled her arm back to her chest, afraid that if she tried to take the pencil from the man their fingers would touch, and she didn't want that to happen.

The blue eyed man noticed her hesitation and placed the pencil on the ground between them. He watched as the female gently picked up the pencil and scurried up to her feet.

"So, I'm guessing you're new to Twilight Town." The bed-headed man said as he stood up.

Naminé's face wore a scared expression. _How does he know...?_ She thought again.

"Everyone who lives around here knows their way around, well except for my brother Sora." He continued. "You seemed pretty lost. Do you want any help?"

Naminé shook her head, causing her hair to swish from side to side.

The man sighed. He knew that she was lost and needed someone's help. He wanted to help her, so he thought how he should word his question differently.

"Do you _**need **_help?" He asked.

Naminé stood still. It was true, she did need help. However, she did not want to go with this man. She didn't want to lie to this man and tell him that she didn't need help though, but she wanted to go home. She thought for a while and then nodded.

The man smiled at her and then walked one step closer to the woman in front of him. "I'm Roxas." He said simply. "Do you know where you wanna go?"

"Home." Her voice was quiet, so quiet that if another squirrel had come running their footsteps sound would have overpowered her voice.

"Alright." Roxas replied. "Do you know where that is?"

Naminé shook her head.

Roxas sighed and then scratched the back of his head. _Obviously_. He thought. _If she knew where her house was she wouldn't be lost!_ "Do you know the name of the street you live on?"

Naminé tapped her chin with her index finger. She knew she lived about five minutes away from the "Sunset Station", but she didn't know where that exactly was either.

Roxas saw her forehead crinkle in confusion and decided to speak up. "Maybe I can help." He suggested. "Plaza Street?"

Naminé thought for a minute and then shook her head.

"Sunny Street?"

Naminé shook her head.

"Sunset Avenue?" Roxas asked.

Naminé thought and soon remembered that was indeed where her house was. She quickly nodded her head once.

A smile appeared on Roxas' face and he nodded. "I know exactly where that is." He was about to the lead the way, but remembered something very important. "You were drawing weren't you?" He looked at the pencil in her small hands. "Where is all your stuff?"

The fragile blonde's mouth formed a perfect 'O' as she realized she had almost forgotten all her supplies.

"You fell out of the bushes right there. I can go and-" but Roxas was cut off because Naminé had already run off.

She pushed through the bushes and shrubs trying to find the clearing she was working in only ten minutes ago. She panted lightly, beginning to get tired, but she wasn't going to make Roxas gather her belongings which meant that she wasn't going to give up. She pushed a tree's branch aside and faced the green clearing once again. She saw her supplies lying on the grass in the middle of the clearing ans she ran towards it. She opened her large white tote-bag and dropped her pencil inside. Then she closed her sketchbook, which was currently open to her drawing of the squirrel that she saw before. Everything in the sketch was completed except for the rodent's tail, and that was because the squirrel had dug through her bag, stole her pencil and ran away.

Naminé threw her bag over her petite shoulder and ran back to the sidewalk where she would find Roxas who would help her find her way home.

**~~~Kingdom Hearts~~~ **

"We already passed the park. Now we just need to turn at the next corner and we'll be at Sunset Avenue." Roxas said with a toothy grin. He turned to look at the small woman next to him as they continued to walk. He watched as her slim fingers slipped from their grip on the edge of her tan sketchbook and he quickly caught it in his free hand that wasn't holding his skateboard.

"Are you sure you don't want me to hold this?" Roxas asked again. This wasn't the first time the book had almost hit the ground. Naminé's mind must have been focused on something else because every five minutes her grip on the book would loosen and the two young adults would have the same "discussion" again and again.

Naminé shook her head and then snatched her sketchpad out of Roxas' hands for about the fourth time. She held the sketchpad loosely in her hands once again.

Roxas looked at the side of the woman's face with a frown as they continued down the sidewalk. Why won't she let me help? He thought. I'm only trying to be nice. His eyes travelled down to the sketchpad in her small hands. Roxas realized that the young woman's name was written on the sketchbook as well and his frown turned into a smile.

"Naminé." He read aloud.

She turned to face him because of hearing her name and their eyes met.

"It's a very nice name." He said causing Naminé's face to turn a shade of red. Roxas smiled as she turned her face away, enjoying her childish behaviour.

Naminé kept her face to her right, out of his sight for the next one or two minutes. Her mind raced as she thought about what Roxas had just said. _Does he really like my name?_ She thought. _It's been so long since someone has complimented me, ever since..._She shook her head, trying to forget what she was just thinking about. Naminé did not want those memories to resurface, not yet.

"Is something wrong?"

Naminé turned to face the man next to her. He had his head titled forward so that he could see her more clearly. His face was filled with concern as he looked at Naminé. He couldn't help but think that is was his fault that she looked so upset. Her eyes were not the same beautiful blue as before. They had lost their shine and now almost looked grey. Her bottom lip was pushed forward as her mouth was in the form of a small pout.

The young artist seemed nervous from all his attention and she couldn't help but blush yet again. "No, no-nothing is wr-wrong." Her words came out sounding jumbled as she didn't want the young man to think anything was wrong. She pulled her bottom lip back and bit on it, never letting her eyes wander from Roxas' face.

He smiled at her, relived to know that he hadn't hurt the woman next to him. He turned back to his left and walked down the corner. "We're here." He turned to smile at the small blonde behind him. "The house with the huge moving truck." Roxas said pointing across the street. "I'm guessing it belongs to you."

"Naminé hurried across the road while it was still empty, Roxas close behind her. They walked up the front steps to the young woman's house and stood in front her door.

"Thank you." She said quietly. Her back was to her front door as she stood facing the lazy skater.

"No problem." He smiled at her. He waved to the lady in front if him, "See you around.' He walked down the white steps and turned to his right.

Naminé hurried to the end of her front porch and rested her small fingers on the white waist high fence. She was expecting to see Roxas disappear down the sidewalk, but when he walked up the front steps to the house beside hers she was shocked. He fiddled with his house key and opened the front door. He smiled at Naminé one last time and then walked inside of his house, closing the door behind him.

Naminé stared at the house next to her, clearly surprised. Twilight Town was definitely going to be special.

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**So, what fo you think? I worked really hard on this chapter for two reasons. It is my first time writing a whole multi-chapter story in third-person and secondly because it's the first chapter of this story! The first chapter always has to be great to give a good impression! :P **

**M brother just came home from mall. He was with his friends and he told me that he found an Anime Store that seels all this Kingdom Hearts Stuff! It sounds aweomse. :)**

**Okay everyone, so please leave a review! Especially since it is the first chapter! From that I will know if I sound continue this story. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here is chapter 2! :D**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN KINGDOM HEARTS **

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**Paranoia**

_**By: MonkeyGirlxoxo**_

**Chapter #2**

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It was another Saturday morning and the sun was high in the sky. The sunlight poured through his windows and passed over Roxas' sleeping face. His blue eyes blinked open and a small groan escaped his lips. He rolled over on his bed and looked at the clock that rested on his bedside table.

10:03am

Roxas threw his sheets aside and got out of bed. He grabbed a black v-neck top with short sleeves and a pair of jeans from his dresser and then lazily made his way to the bathroom. When he finished taking a shower and brushing his teeth he walked down the hall to his kitchen. He took out a bowl from one of his many wooden cabinets and grabbed a box of 'Froot Loops' from the top of his fridge. He shook the open end of the box lightly, letting the sugary cereal fall into the marble bowl and then poured some milk in from the fridge. After that he got a spoon from a drawer and began to eat. Roxas would usually make himself something nice for breakfast like pancakes or eggs and bacon, but today he was really busy, and he was already running late.

When he completed his breakfast he washed the dishes and then walked down to his small front foyer. Then he grabbed his cell phone from the wooden ledge next to his front door. He decided to heave his front door unlocked, knowing that no one in town would even try to break into his house. With that, he slipped through the doorway and quickly walked down the stairs of his front porch.

He started to walk down the sidewalk but stopped in his tracks right in front of the white house next to his own. The moving truck was gone and large broken down cardboard boxes leaned against the white fence of the front porch. Roxas' eyes drifted towards the front door of the house and he let out a low sigh. _Where is she? _He thought. He looked over at the small window next to the front door and then started to walk down the sidewalk again. He hadn't see the young artist since he had helped her find her way home, and that was over a week ago. Roxas stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked down at the moving concrete beneath his feet. He had to admit, even though he only met the small blonde once, he missed her.

"Uncle Woxas!" The lazy skater raised his head from hearing his name. Before he could even turn around, he felt two small hands wrap around hi right leg. He looked over his shoulder and saw small dirty blond curls hiding underneath an 'Iron Man' cap.

"Hey Buddy!" Roxas said happily. He picked up the small boy and started to tickle his small stomach.

The little boy giggled and started to grab Roxas' hand, trying to stop the young adult. "Stop it Uncle Woxas!" He said between giggle fits.

Roxas stopped tickling the small boy and looked into his bright green eyes. "Haru, where's Mommy and Daddy?"

The boy in Roxas' arms smiled and then pointed behind them on the sidewalk. Roxas' eyes followed Haru's finger and saw his two friends walking towards them. When the married couple finally arrived Roxas smiled at them.

"Hello Roxas." Olette said with a smile. "Haru saw you and he started running."

The small boy in Roxas' grasp leaned towards his mother with outstretched arms and was passed from Roxas to Olette. The brunette smiled at her son and then kissed him lightly on his nose. Haru giggled and then placed his head on his mother's shoulder.

"I tried to chase him, but he got away." Hayner added. He currently had his left arm around his wife's waist. "Besides, I knew that he was coming by you, so I didn't have to worry."

Roxas crossed his now empty arms and started to chuckle. "I don't know if I should be proud of Haru because he outran his father, or be disappointed in you because a three year old is faster than you."

Hayner's face turned a deep shade of red in embarrassment and his wife gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Where are you guys headed?" Roxas asked looking back and forth between the different members of the family of three.

"Haru has a birthday party to go to." Hayner said. He turned to face his son, who was currently being cradled in his mother's arms, and passed a thumb gently over the small boy's cheek.

"Really?" Roxas asked. He then turned towards the dirty blond and smiled. "Who's party is it?" He asked.

"My fwend Yuki!" Haru said playing with some of his mother's chocolate curls in his small hands.

Roxas smiled and leaned closer to the small boy. "And how old is this Yuki turning?"

"Faw!" Haru happily exclaimed lifting his hand to show the lazy skater four petite outstretched fingers.

Olette smiled and then turned to Roxas. "I'm sorry to run on you, but the party starts in fifteen minutes and I don't want Haru to be late."

"That's okay, I actually have to get going too." Roxas said. "I need to get some stuff from the grocery." He pointed behind himself to the building in the distance. The grocery was probably a ten minute walk away from where he was now.

"So we'll see you next Saturday, right?" Hayner asked sneaking his hand around his wife's waist.

"Yeah." Roxas confirmed with a quick nod of his head. "And it's at my house." He added.

"Olette nodded and then they bid their farewells. Roxas watched the family of three disappear down the sidewalk the same way they had come, then turned around and continued on his way to the grocery. His mind was far away as he walked down the concrete walkway. Roxas was making a mental note of what he would need for next Saturday. It was his niece's seventh birthday party, and it had to be perfect. Sakura was his only niece, so Roxas spoiled her rotten. He had insisted that Sakura's birthday party should be held at his house for two reasons. One, his house was bigger than his brother's, so the guests wouldn't be as crowded and two, he could make Sakura his homemade chocolate cake, which everyone knew was her favourite dessert. Sora and Kairi had agreed quite quickly, happy that they wouldn't be the ones who needed to clean up after the piňata for another year, and so everything had been planned.

When Roxas walked into the grocery store, a blast of cool air conditioned breeze hit him. He grabbed a cart and then rolled it against the tiled floor to one of the many aisles in the store. He grabbed whatever he thought he would need for the party off of the the shelves and threw them into the cart, the objects making a loud clang as they hit the bottom of the metal basket. By the time Roxas had arrived in the aisle filled with beers and wines the cart was already halfway full with cookie mixes, icing containers and cake ingredients. The twenty-one year old looked at all the different bottles around him and started to think about what flavour his guests would enjoy most. Sora and Kairi preferred to drink beer over wine, but having those large crates that usually rested on the floor wasn't a good idea as young boys and girls would be running all over. Hayner enjoyed drinking cherry wine, but Olette Olette would drink any flavoured wine except for cherry. Axel, Roxas' best friend, would drink beer and red wine, but his girlfriend Larxene would only drink Raspberry wine. Roxas sighed as all this information ran through his head and closed his eyes as he began to think. He had only wanted to buy two drinks, beer and one bottle of wine. He wasn't much of a drinker himself, so he didn't want to be left with too much alcohol after the party. That's when he thought of an idea. He opened his eyes and pushed the cart out of the aisle. He would just ask Sora and Kairi to bring the drinks. It was the least they could do, considering the fact that the party wasn't even at their house.

Roxas rolled the cart into the frozen goods section of the store. He just needed to pick up some ice-cream and then he could be on his way home. Roxas looked through the clear glass doors on either side of him that held different compartments for the different frozen foods. Roxas pushed the cart further down the aisle, looking from side to side for the ice-cream. He stopped halfway down the aisle and looked forward noticing the only other person in the aisle with him for the first time.

**~~~Kingdom Hearts~~~ **

Naminé brought her small hand up to her face and began to tap her chin gently with her index finger. She looked through the glass door in front of her, her cerulean eyes moving back and forth between the box of six sea-salt ice-cream popsicles and the large set of eight Nestle drumstick cones. She gently put her basket down on the floor in front of her and then looked at the ice-cream again. The young artist couldn't decide which dessert to buy. Ever since she had started university, the Nestle drumstick had always been her favourite ice-cream dessert. However, Naminé had seen advertisements for Twilight Town's famous sea-salt ice-cream and ever since then she had been curious to know how the blue popsicle tasted.

"Miss Kibou?"

The small woman felt her body tense and her eyes widened. The familiar feeling of discomfort rose in her stomach once more and she turned to face the centre of the aisle. When she found herself facing the lazy skater from only a week ago, she couldn't help but feel a bit better and her body somewhat relaxed.

Roxas smiled at the blonde in front of him, happy to see her again. He pushed his cart to the other side of the aisle and then walked back towards Naminé. He stood next to her, looking at the ice-cream through another glass door.

"So, you're shopping for ice-cream?" He asked trying to make conversation with the woman next to him. He looked to his left to see Naminé staring at the ice-cream in front if her.

"Yes." She replied softly. She continued to look at the boxes of ice-cream, still debating which flavour she should buy. She turned her head to the right, looking at the man next to her through her bangs.

He had already turned back to face the ice-cream in front of him, and she took in his features. She didn't know why, but something about his blond spiky hair and his deep blue eyes were comforting. She felt safer,more protected, when she was with him.

Unaware of the woman's cerulean eyes on him, Roxas opened the glass door in front of him and took out a box with twelve popsicles of sea-salt ice-cream. He carried the box across the aisle and dropped it in his cart. He then headed back to his spot next to Naminé.

Naminé turned back to face the ice-cream, her decision still undecided, when Roxas titled his head to look at her. He followed her gaze to the two boxes that stood side by side in the freezer, and a smile broke across his face.

"Having problems deciding which ice-cream to buy, Miss Kibou?" Roxas asked playfully as he stuck his hands into his pockets.

Naminé turned her head to face him, startled by how he knew exactly what was going through her mind. She looked at him for a while, saying nothing as he waited for an answer.

"Yes." She said finally moving her eyes back to the freezer.

"Which two are you looking at?" Roxas asked kindly, moving closer towards the blonde woman. "Maybe I could help you decide which one to buy."

Naminé didn't reply straight away. She was thinking, did she really want Roxas to help her decide? Maybe she could just shrug him off, and be left alone once again. However, she didn't want him to leave. Having him there with her was almost...**pleasant**. "The sea-salt ice-cream, and the Nestle drumsticks." She said at last, pointing to each box as she said their names. "I don't know which box I should buy."

"Well, that is a tough decision." Roxas said pulling one of his hands out of his pocket to rub his chin as he thought. "They are both very delicious." His voice was playful, as he was trying to make the small woman next to him laugh.

Naminé smiled from his silly behaviour, and brought her left hand up to cover her mouth. Roxas had already seen the smile though, and he was pleased to see it.

"I would buy both." Roxas said tucking his hand back in his pocket.

"Both?" Naminé asked turning to face the skater. "That's so much ice-cream." Her voice was soft and quiet. "I don't think I would be able to eat it all."

Roxas had already taken the boxes out of the freezer, and dropped them in her basket with a soft clang. He straightened up and turned to Naminé. "Well, I could always help eat it out." He said with a smile.

The colour rose in Naminé's cheeks and she turned her head to the side, not wanting Roxas to see her blush. But just like before, he had already seen her, and he started to chuckle. He turned away and walked back to his cart, placing both hands on the smooth metal bar.

"Are you going to go and pay now?" He asked her moving his cart slowly down the aisle.

Naminé nodded her head quickly and then bent down to pick up her basket. She walked quickly, beside Roxas' cart and found a cash-register. Roxas was first in line, lightly dropping his items on the conveyer belt.

It didn't take that long for Roxas to finish paying for all of his items, and after spending one hundred dollars on party supplies, he packed all them into eight different plastic bags.

"That will be sixteen dollars please." The attendant said cheerfully from behind the counter to Naminé.

Naminé nodded, and quickly dug through her handbag for her wallet. When she brought out a white leather pouch, she handed the attendant exact change, took the receipt and started to pack her two boxes in a plastic bag. It didn't take that long, and soon enough both young adults were walking out if the grocery to head back home.

"Here." Roxas said from next to Naminé on the sidewalk. "Let me take that for you." He was already holding four bags in each hand, but he was able to take Naminé's bag out if her hands before she could object and hold it in his right hand with no trouble.

"It's quite alright." Naminé said trying to take her bag back from the man next to her. To be honest, Naminé was afraid that he might drop the bag because he was holding so much already, or even worse steal her ice-cream and run off.

"I'm fine." Roxas said smiling at her. "Don't worry."

She pulled away, folding her arms lightly over her chest and continued to walk down the concrete pathway. Every now and then she would turn to her left to look at Roxas, making sure that her bag was always there in his right hand and that nothing looked like it was going to fall.

"It's nice out, huh?" Roxas said looking around them. The sun was out, and the trees to the right were green and healthy. The sky was a light blue, and every few minutes there was a nice cool breeze.

"Yes." Naminé said. "It's lovely."

Soon enough the two arrived in front of their house, and they stood in the middle of the front porches on the sidewalk facing one another.

"Here you go." Roxas said outstretching his right hand to her.

Naminé delicately took her bag out if his hand, but she must have forgotten how heavy it was because both of her hands fell quickly from the weight of the bag. "It's so heavy." She said quietly.

"Do you need me to help you carry that in?" Roxas asked, looking a bit concerned. He didn't want the small woman in front of him to hurt herself.

"I'm fine." She said politely. "What about you? You were holding so many bags, they must be heavy."

"I'm alright." Roxas said with a shrug. "They aren't that heavy." He smiled at the woman and said goodbye. Then he started to walk up his front porch, the bags in his hands hitting each step.

"Roxas." Naminé called suddenly.

He turned around, already in front of his door. "Yes, Miss Kibou?" He was surprised by her sudden outburst, she was always so quiet that he never would have expected it.

Naminé was surprised with herself as well. She didn't think before she had shouted out his name. She just wanted to ask him a question, "Why do you have so many bags?" She asked, her voice quiet again.

"My niece is having her birthday party here next week." Roxas explained. "I was just picking up some stuff for the party."

"I see." Naminé said. She turned away and started to walk up her front porch, struggling with the large bag of ice-cream. She dropped the bag lightly on the floor next to he r as she started to rummage around in her bag for her key.

"Miss Kibou?" Roxas called out from his porch.

She turned to the side and looked at Roxas, waiting for him to speak.

"You could come to the party next Saturday if you want to." Roxas said with a warm smile.

Naminé nodded, and her hand wrapped around the key in her bag. She pulled her hand out and stuck the key in the lock and turned it to the left. She picked up the bag once again and then turned the knob gently to the side with her right hand. She looked back at Roxas and titled her head to the side.

"Thank you." She said softly. "I'll think about it."

Roxas smiled at her and opened his door as well. "Great."

And then both of the young adults said goodbye once more, and headed inside of their homes, both pleased with their grocery shopping and the conversations that they had shared that day.

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**I'm really sorry that I took so long tp update this, and that this chapter was pretty much nothing. :P **

**You see, I was really busy and then when I got the time to write, I was working on my other story, but I have finally updated this! :D**

**The next update will be for my other story "8 Simple Rules" and then after that I will update this again.**

**However, I am leaving to go on vacation with my family on the 30th of July and won't be coming back until the 17th of August. Unfortunately, my grandma's house (where I am staying) does not have internet, so I won't be able to update. I will try my best to get Chapter 3 up before I leave though. :D**

_**Also, I have a poll on my profile, and it would mean a lot to me if you guys checked it out! :D**_

**And please review everyone! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3! **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Tinkerbell, The Princess and the Frog, The Little Mermaid, Monopoly or Disney**

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**Paranoia**

_**By:MonkeyGirlxoxo**_

**Chapter #3**

* * *

Naminé raised her left eyebrow and titled her head to the side. She took a small step backwards and looked at the painting in front of her. The top half of the canvas was blank, but the bottom was decorated with different shades of green and blue, as the young woman was trying to create an image of a lake.

The artist was not very pleased with her work, and so her lips formed a small frown as she shook her head from side to side. The blonde was a mess, her arms were covered with blotches of paint, due to the fact that she tried her mixed colours on herself before letting the different hues touch the canvas, and her face has a large circle of blue paint on her cheek from when she had passed the back of her right hand over her face. Her hair was tied in a messy ponytail, and most of her shoulder length strands were already coming out. Usually being messy like this would trouble the artist, but she didn't mind the mess because it was paint. Paint was the only thing that could make Naminé almost feel normal again. It was there throughout all her painful memories, and whenever she picked up her brush to stroke the canvas her worries always seemed to leave her.

Naminé dipped her paintbrush in the small light green circle of the pallet in her hand and then pressed the brush again the canvas. Her hand danced across the picture adding dabs here and there to make the painting look more realistic. She stepped back once more looking at the piece in front of her again. Her lips curved into a smile and she nodded her head, pleased with her work. The tired young adult was about to lift her brush to paint again, but something outside her large arch window caught her eye.

Roxas had opened his front door, his hands carrying two large black garbage bag. He walked down the steps of his front porch, his front door still wide open, and rested the bags down next to his two recycling bins. He clapped his hands once and then walked back up his front porch. Hie disappeared back inside, leaving Naminé to stare at the closed door. Even though she saw him for less than a minute, she could feel the familiar feeling of comfort rise over herself again.

That's when Naminé remembered about Roxas' party, and suddenly that's all she could think about. She placed the pallet down on the table next to her easel and puller her while painting apron, which had been covered with different colours, over her head. She walked towards the door of her studio and hung her apron on a small hook that stuck out from the wall. She then walked out of her studio and through the hall to the kitchen. She took light steps up to the kitchen sink where she started to wash her hands. As the warm water from the faucet passed over her fragile fingers the artist's mind was far concentrated on something else. Naminé was still decided if she wanted to attend the party or not. She wouldn't mind seeing Roxas again, but it was a party and that meant many more people...who would all be strangers. A small shiver ran up her spine just from the thought. She wasn't good with new people; ever since what happened, they scared her.

_**"It's your fault!" **_

The words filled her ears and they echoed again and again in her head. She closed her eyes and grabbed the edge of the counter with her damp hands for support. The water from the tap continued to rub, but the small blonde had no intention of turning it off yet. The three worded sentence was still stuck in her head, and the memories she tried so hared to put away were resurfacing.

**~~~Kingdom Hearts~~~**

Roxas hummed to himself as he pulled the cake out from the oven. The dessert's delicious smell filled the entire kitchen as the chef carried the cake over to rest on the counter. He removed his oven mitts and placed them down next to the chocolate cake. The island counters were decorated with different types of cuisine. There were two large dishes of macaroni pie resting on the left side of the island. There was still some steam escaping from the pie's dish, as it had only come out from the oven thirty minutes before. Next to the cheesy dish lay a large glass bowl that filled to the rim with freshly made barbeque chicken. The last dinner dish was a large plastic bowl that contained cool fresh salad. All of the different kinds of desserts were placed to the right side of the table. There were two platters of chocolate chip cookies and a whole tray of vanilla cupcakes that were topped with dollops of whipped cream. The chocolate cake was positioned between the vanilla cupcakes and the cookies, it's mouth watering scent still circling the area.

Roxas took one last look at the food and then removed his black apron. He rolled it up and dropped it inside one of the many drawers in his kitchen. He then covered all of the dishes with foil, and the cake and cookies with baking nets, before he left the kitchen to go to his room. It was 1:45pm, which meant that he still had fifteen minutes before guests started to arrive. Roxas planned to take a shower, and so he took out a white v-neck t-shirt and some blue denim jeans to carry into the bathroom.

In a matter of ten minutes Roxas was out of the bathroom and just as he finished putting his dirty clothes in the hamper his doorbell rang. Roxas made his way to the foyer and opened his front door. As soon as the door opened, a small girl with red hair barged into the house and hugged Roxas' legs. He patted the child's head and then looked back at the doorway. His older brother stood there, holing two bottles of wine and a crate of Carib beers. Next to Sora stood Kairi, who was holding a large Disney Princesses bad that contained about three board games.

"Hey guys.' Roxas greeted his brother and sister-in-law. He took one of the small girl's hands in his and then moved them both to the side, allowing Sora and Kairi to come inside. He closed the door behind then with his free hand and then turned to face the couple behind him. Sora had already moved into the kitchen and was resting the crate on top of an empty counter. Kairi had gone into the kitchen as well and was helping her husband by placing the two wine bottles on the counter next to the beer. Roxas walked into the kitchen, the small redhead still holding his hand.

"Thanks for bringing the drinks you guys." Roxas said to the other adults in the room. "I really appreciate it."

Kairi turned to face the blond. "It was no problem Roxas." She said with a smile. "It was the least we could do, you're holding Sakura's party here." She reached out her arm to tuck some of her daughter's hair behind her small ear.

Roxas looked down at his niece and smiled. "That's right." He said in a playful tone. "Someone turned seven today."

Sakura smiled up at her Uncle. "I did!" She had on a yellow sundress and her hair was out, resting neatly on her shoulders. "And guess what Uncle Roxie!"

"What?" Roxas asked, his smile growing.

"Mommy and Daddy got me a tea-set for my birthday!" She started to jump up and down in excitement.

"That's so cool!" Roxas said sounding surprised. He already knew about her gift, due to the fact that his brother had told him a few weeks ago, but he knew the reaction that would make his niece smile, and so he gave it to her.

Sakura giggled, "I can't wait to show Haru!" She exclaimed, "How we can play tea-party!"

"Now Sakura." Kairi said bending down to be at eye level with her daughter, "Just remember that Haru might not want to play tea-party."

"I know." Sakura said with a small nod and a smile. "We could always play a board game or go outside."

Kairi smiled, "That's my girl."

Without any warning Sakura released her grip on Roxas' hand and took two quick steps towards her mother. The small girl wrapped her tiny arms around Kairi and buried her face into the crook of the young woman's neck.

"I love you Mommy." Sakura said softly.

"I love you too sweetheart." Kairi said.

Roxas took the moment to go further into the kitchen as he was looking for his older brother. He found Sora standing in front of a counter looking at the piňata they had chosen for Sakura. It was a large pink flower and in the middle of the petals was a large picture of Tinkerbell, Sakura's favourite character at the moment.

"Cool huh?" Roxas said with a childish grin. His voice startled the spiky brunette causing him to jump. Roxas chuckled from his brother's reaction and then went to lean against the counter next to the piňata. "I stuffed it this morning" Roxas started. "But I didn't put too much candy. The only kids are Sakura and Haru after all."

"Sakura's hyper enough." Sora smiled, "She doesn't need that much candy."

"I guess she takes after her father." Roxas teased.

Sora started to laugh from his brother's words, but he soon stopped abruptly. "Hey," He said understanding his brother's joke, "That's not nice." Even though Sora was the older of the brothers, he was the slower of the two, making him an easier target for jokes and teasing. Before Roxas could start his teasing again there was a soft knock on the door followed by the ringing of his doorbell. Roxas quickly made his way through the kitchen to the foyer. He opened the door and stood face to face with a family of three. Hayner was wearing a green dress top that had the top two or three buttons undone. He also had on his blue baggy jeans that ended right above his pine green converse. His arm was draped around Olette's petite shoulders. She wore her long brown hair out, the chocolate waves cascading down her shoulders. She was dressed in an orange sundress that ended right above her knees. The fabric hugged her upper torso and loosened around her hips, flaring down to her knees. With that she wore lacy orange slippers. Olette held their son in her arms, his head nestled between her shoulder and her titled head. His iron man cap wasn't on his head, so his curly blond hair was exposed. He was wearing blue denim shorts with a Ben 10 shirt and matching Ben 10 sneakers. On his left wrist he wore the Omnitrix, a popular Ben 10 toy.

"Hey guys." Roxas said with a warm smile. He moved to the side, allowing them into his home.

"Haru!" Sakura called happily running into the room.

Her voice caused the small three year old to lift his head, looking for the source of the sound. When his small green eyes landed on her, his whole face brightened.

"Sakwa!" He responded with excitement. Olette smiled and placed her son down on the ground where he eagerly ran towards the birthday girl.

"Did you say hello to everyone Sakura?" Roxas asked his niece.

She turned her attention away from the toddler in front of her and looked at his parents. "Hi Uncle Hayner and Auntie Olette!" She greeted.

"Hello sweetie." Olette said with a smile.

"Hey Sakura." Hayner said. He bent down in front of her and handed her a wrapped box. "Happy birthday kiddo." He smiled at her and patted her head before standing up again.

"Thank you." She told the couple happily. She then grabbed Haru's hand and ran off in search of her parents.

In the next fifteen minutes Axel and Larxene arrived, which meant all of the guests were here except for Roxas' neighbour. Sakura and Haru were running up and down the halls in a game of tag while the adults were all seated and relaxed in the living area.

"I can't believe that Sakura is already seven." Olette said in disbelief from her position on the loveseat. "I remember the day you brought her home from the hospital like it was yesterday."

"I know what you mean," Kairi said from the couch. She held a glass of wine in her hands. "They grow up so fast."

There were a few nods around the room. "Just think about it." Sora said causing everyone to look at him. "Haru will be turning four soon."

Olette gasped, "My little boy." She said under her breath as the information sunk in.

Hayner pulled his wife close to him and rubbed her back to comfort her. When Olette settled down Hayner kissed the top of her head and then looked straight into her eyes. "Honey, I've been thinking." Hayner whispered. "Maybe it's time that Haru got a sibling." His words made Olette's cheeks burn red, and she hid a smile. Even though his words were directed towards his wife, Hayner's voice had been loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. Kairi and Roxas whistled as Sora chuckled clapping his hands together. Axel laughed along with Sora and then called out, "You can't blame a guy for trying." Larxene looked over at Olette, "Be careful with this one Let!" She teased. "Before you know it, you'll have five more kids!" Now both Hayner and Olette were red in the face.

Just then, Sakura and Haru ran out from the hallway and towards the adults. "Mommy!" Haru cried running towards the loveseat.

"Yes pumpkin?" Olette replied picking up her son. She rested Haru down on her lap, his small body creasing the end of her skirt.

"I'm humongaswa!" He said throwing his hands in the air. Hayner chuckled, his son was going through his Ben 10 stage. Whenever Haru wore his toy Omnitrix, which was on his wrist now, he thought he could turn into aliens; just like Ben.

"You're humongousaur?" Olette asked. Humongousaur was one if Ben's most popular aliens and Haru's favourite.

"Yes." Haru nodded, "And now I'm gonna catch Sakuwa!" He made a few adults chuckle with his words.

"Alright then." Olette said placing her son back down with a smile. "Have fun."

Sakura smiled at Haru and let out a small giggle. When he started to run towards her though, she let out a surprised squeal and dashed away. Before the children even left the living area the doorbell rang. The children stopped running and turned to look at Roxas.

"Who's that?" Sora asked his younger brother. Everyone looked at Roxas, waiting for an answer.

"The only other person I invited was my new neighbour." Roxas explained as he stood up. "I guess she was able to make it." Roxas said smiling.

"New neighbour?" Sora questioned. He was always the last to know about the news.

"She?" Axel teased.

Roxas walked to the foyer, the two children following him. When he opened the door Naminé Kibou stood on the other side. She wore black skinny jeans with a white blouse. Her hair was down-as usual- and it gently rested on her shoulders. Roxas couldn't help but think that she looked beautiful.

"Miss Kibou." Roxas smiled, "Come in." Roxas moved to the side, allowing the artist inside.

Naminé stepped inside and took her shoes off, placing then neatly next to the front door. She saw all the other pairs of shoes lined up against the wall and her stomach felt tight. _There's so much people._ She thought. _It's okay, you can do it._ She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. She nodded, convinced that everything was going to be okay, and opened her eyes again, turning around.

"Oh!" She said in surprise. Haru was standing right in front of the artist, his big green eyes focused on her.

"Hi!" He said grinning up at her. "My name's Haru!"

Naminé didn't know what to say or do and she started to feel uncomfortable. Roxas saw the discomfort in her face and stepped in. "Haru, this is Miss Kibou." Roxas said stepping forward. He picked up the young boy in his arms and balanced him on the left side of his body. "Let's go introduce her to everybody." He suggested. He motioned for Sakura to come by him and the small girl ran towards her uncle and grabbed his right hand with hers. Roxas smiled at Naminé over his shoulder as his niece pulled him away and the young woman couldn't help but give him a small smile back.

_I want to be able to do that one day._ She thought to herself as she watched Roxas carry the children into the living area. She followed behind them, and soon enough she stood next to Roxas in front of everyone. Roxas began to speak. "This is my neighbour, Miss Naminé Kibou." He said simply.

The twenty year old raised her hand and waved to everyone in the room. _You can do this_. She told herself again.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Kibou." Sora said from his seat on the couch. "I'm Roxas' older brother, Sora."

"I'm Kairi." The redhead spoke up. "I'm Sora's wife. It's a pleasure to meet you Naminé." Her eyes drifted to Sakura. "That's out daughter Sakura, today's her birthday." She said with a smile.

"I'm Hayner and this is my wife Olette." Hayner introduced. "That little boy in Roxas' arms is our son. His name is Haru." Both Hayner and Olette smiled at Naminé. "It's a pleasure."

"I'm Axel." The spiky redhead said with a smile.

"I'm Larxene." The blonde said from next to him.

Naminé nodded at each one of their names, processing the information.

"Well." Roxas said, "Why don't we all eat."

Everyone got up from their seats and made their way to the kitchen through the open doorway. Kairi and Sora took out food for the children before attending to themselves, and Hayner took out food for himself and Olette. Axel and Larxene walked around the island, placing the cuisine they wanted in their plates. Roxas and Naminé stood against the wall, waiting until everyone was finished getting their food to go and prepare their dinner. Roxas was a bit shocked at the woman's behaviour, finding it strange that she didn't go straight away. The only reason that he was waiting was because it was his house, and he wanted to make sure that his guests got attended to first. What Roxas didn't know was that Naminé hated large crowds. She disliked the feeling of other people around her, their arms colliding with one another. She wanted to go and get her food when the rush was done, and she could take her time and decide.

Soon enough, everyone has their food and had gone back to sit on the couches, or in the kids' case on the dining table. Roxas and Naminé both started towards the food, and Roxas took the moment to try and make conversation with the petite blonde.

"See anything you like?" He asked her as he dished out some macaroni pie for himself. He looked up from his plate and at the woman across the island from him. Right now her plate was empty as she was examining the food.

"Yes." She said with a nod. She took the tongs out from the large bowl of salad and began to grab some of the lettuce and vegetables with the appliance, placing them in her plate. After about a third of her plate was filled with the salad, she placed the tongs down and looked over the food again. Satisfied with what she had she began to walk away. Roxas quickly placed some salad next to the barbeque chicken in his plate and then chased after her.

"That's all you're going to have?" He asked her as they entered the living area.

She turned around to see the twenty-one year old staring at her. "Yes." She said in the same tone as before.

Roxas stepped closer to her. "Is there anything else you'd like? I could make something special for you." He offered, "I made all the food and desserts." He explained. "I would hate if I made things one of my guests didn't enjoy."

Naminé felt the sides of her lips go up in a smile. "It's alright." She said to the worried man. "I'm just not that hungry."

Roxas then looked at her without saying anything. He titled his head to the side, his eyes never shifting from her face. He was trying to see if she was upset, sometimes emotions had a way of showing themselves. His gaze on her made her feel nervous, and her cheeks turned red.

_She looks okay. _Roxas thought to himself. "Well, if you say so." Roxas said responding to her words before. "Come on, let's go eat."

Roxas took a few steps forward, and Naminé followed him to a loveseat distanced from the other adults. The two neighbours sat down, and quietly ate their food next to each other. The only sound that was audible was the discussion that the other adults were having only a few steps away. Every now and then Sora would turn back to look at his younger brother and the small woman next to him. He couldn't help but wonder why they were so far away from everyone else, but whenever he would start to get worried someone would call his name interrupting his thoughts.

"The salad is nice." Naminé said softly to the man next to her.

Roxas looked up from his plate and swallowed his food. "Thank you." He said to Naminé with a smile. "I'm glad you like it."

Roxas was about to say something else, but Axel's sudden outburst boomed over his voice. "Crap!" The spiky redhead called out.

Roxas and Naminé both turned to look at him, wondering what was wrong. It was then that Roxas saw the piece of barbeque chicken that had fallen on the ground, most likely staining the large rug that lay underneath all of the furniture in that part of the room.

Axel bent down to pick the food up, mumbling something under his breath. "Thanks a lot Larxene." He spoke to his girlfriend in a playful voice. "You made me drop the chicken."

"I didn't realize that you would get so excited!" Larxene defended herself. "If I knew that when I mentioned fireworks you would act like that I wouldn't have brought it up."

"Well, it's your fault." Axel said with a smile. He leaned towards the blonde and planted a kiss on her cheek.

_**It's your fault. **_

Naminé placed the plate on her lap, and closed her eyes. She worked so hard to try and put those memories away for this evening, she wanted to try and enjoy the outing, but the memories were coming back.

"Miss Kibou?" Roxas asked leaning towards her. He had noticed her body go stiff next to him and he started to worry. "Miss Kibou?" He called again, more urgent than before.

"Excuse me please." Naminé said quickly. She got up from her positon on the loveseat, placing the plate on the area where she sat. She then set off quickly past the other adults and down to the dining area where the glass door to the patio was open. She disappeared as she quickly walked through the door and onto the porch.

All of the adults had watched her sudden move, and Sora turned back to face his brother once again. "Is she alright?" He asked sounding worried.

Roxas didn't answer, and he quickly got up from his seat. He briskly made his way to the patio, hoping to see that Naminé was okay.

Out on the patio Naminé sat down on a wooden bench. Her head was in her hands and her shoulders moved up and down to the rhythm of her breathing. She was crying, the memories eating away at her.

_** It's your fault.**_

Her sobs grew louder though she tried to stay quiet. She didn't want to ruin Roxas' party, she had come to try and face her fears and move on, but her past was too strong to try and escape and it was eating away at her.

"Miss Kibou." Roxas said softly walking up to her. He didn't have to hear her sobs to know she was crying, he could tell by the way her body was positioned. "Naminé, please tell me what's wrong." He sat down beside her and placed one of his hands on her back.

She didn't want him to see her like this, and so she shifted her body away from him. However, he wasn't going to give up. Roxas got up from his seat and walked around to the other side, bending down to the ground so that he could see the back of her hands. "Naminé." He said again, "Please."

She moved her hands from her face, her eyes now red and puffy. Her vision was a bit blurred, but she was able to clearly see the man in front her looking more worried every second. "I'm sorry." She said at last. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Roxas asked quite surprised, "You don't have to apologize for anything."

"Yes I do." Naminé said softly. "I ruined your party."

"No you didn't." Roxas said lifting a hand to her face. He began to wipe her tears away with the back of his hand. "Are you alright?" He asked.

Naminé didn't know if she was alright at all. She still felt the pain of her past inside, but after crying it wasn't as strong as it had been before. Maybe having Roxas here with her also helped her calm down, but she wasn't sure if that was true yet. "I think." She said at last.

Roxas smiled. "Good." He said with a sigh of relief. "I didn't like seeing you upset."

"Who's ready to whack a piňata!" Axel exclaimed walking out onto the porch. He held the flower piňata in one hand and a large stick in the other. Behind him Larxene, Sora, Kairi, Hayner, Olette and the children walked onto the patio. Sakura and Haru ran towards Axel, eagerly waiting for him to hang the flower on a tree branch. Hayner and Olette stopped walking and began to talk with Sora and Kairi, both couples unaware that Roxas and Naminé were behind them.

It was only Sora that bothered to look around for his brother, and when his eyes landed on the two blondes that were by the bench he smiled. His brother had only ever had one serious girlfriend, and she had left only a year ago. It was good to see him with someone else, whether they were planning to go down that road or not.

Roxas got up from his position on the ground and went to the bench, sitting down next to Naminé. "This is always fun to watch." He told her. "The piňata always makes the party." A smile stretched across his face as he leaned back against the bench, waiting for the game to start.

The two children skipped down the small staircase to the backyard and jumped up and down in excitement for the game to begin. Axel smiled at them and then tied the flower to the lowest branch on Roxas' maple tree. He then handed Sakura the wooden stick and pulled out a black bandana from his pocket. He then tied it around her head and spun her around three times. "Alright!" He said loud enough for everyone to hear. "Let's get started."

Sora and Kairi walked down the stairs to the backyard and stood to watch the children play the classic party game. Olette and Hayner took seats on the steps while Larxene made her way over to her boyfriend. Everyone watched as the small girl tried to hit the piňata three times, each time missing it by a few inches.

When Sakura's first turn was up Axel tied the bandana around Haru's eyes and directed him towards the pinata before spinning him around three times. He was able to hit the lowest petal of the piňata, but the blow wasn't strong enough to break the flower.

On Sakura's second turn she hit the flower smack dab in the middle, breaking the piňata. The contents inside went flying all over the backyard and Haru ran after them, making his parents laugh.

Sakura still had the blindfold on, so she wasn't aware that she had destroyed the flower. Sora had to go towards his daughter and untie the black material from around her eyes. When she finally realized that the piňata had been broken she ran off to try and find the candy. In the end, Sakura was able to get six pieces of candy while Haru held fourteen.

Axel disappeared back inside of the house as everyone continued to talk. Sakura ran up to Roxas, plopping down in his lap as she started to tell him how much pieces of candy she got. In a matter of ten minutes Axel was back outside, pushing a cart that had Sakura's Tinkerbell birthday cake. On the bottom shelf on the cart there was a large pile of wrapped boxes; all of the birthday girl's presents.

"Come on everyone!" Axel called. "It's time to sing happy birthday!"

Everyone gathered around the cart, and began to sing. When the song was done Sakura blew out her candles, and everyone cheered.

"Open your gifts honey." Kairi said with a smile. She bent down and picked up all the presents handing the one on top to Sakura. The small girl ripped the paper off and smiled when she saw the item underneath. It was a special Disney Princess Version of Monopoly.

"That's from us." Hayner said from behind the cart.

Sakura looked up at him, a gigantic grin on her face. "Thank you Uncle Hayner, Auntie Olette and Haru."

"It was no problem sweetheart." Olette said with a smile.

Sakura opened the gift from Axel and Larxene next. It was the new 'Princess and the Frog' DVD. She smiled and thanked the two adults. The last gift she had to open was from Roxas. It was a large box that was wrapped with Disney wrapping paper. The small girl ripped away at the paper eagerly, wanting to know what her uncle had gotten her.

Roxas waited patiently for the redheaded girl to open the gift, he had searched five different stores looking for these. He really hoped that she liked them. It was then that Naminé inhaled sharply. Roxas turned to look at her, concerned. The young artist just realized that she hadn't brought anything for the birthday girl, and it was showing on her face.

"Uncle Roxas! I love it!" Sakura squealed holding up the box. Inside was a special Ariel doll from 'The Little Mermaid'. Ariel was Sakura's favourite princess and the doll was a special collectable item.

"I'm glad you like it." Roxas said with a smile. "It's from me and Miss Kibou."

The young woman turned to look at him in surprise. Did he really just do that?

"Thank you Miss Kibou." Sakura said with a large grin. "I really like it."

Naminé turned her attention away from the man next to her and looked at the young girl. "I'm glad." She said with a smile.

Sakura jumped off of Roxas' lap and ran towards her parents to show them the new doll. Soon enough the group drifted apart, Larxene and Axel carrying the cart back inside, Hayner and his family sitting on the steps to the backyard and Sakura jumping up and down with her parents in the backyard.

"You didn't have to do that." Naminé told the man next to her as soon as they were alone.

"I know, but I wanted to." Roxas said smiling at her. "It was no big deal."

Naminé could feel her face heat up from his eyes on her and she turned her head away. "Thank you." She said softly.

Meanwhile, Haru had left his parents to go and play with Sakura in the backyard. They were playing tag, and Haru ran up to the new seven year old.

"Yow it!" He called happily placing his hand on her stomach. However, Sakura wasn't paying attention. She was looking at her uncle and Miss Kibou talk on the bench.

A smile spread across the small girl's face, "They're going to fall in love." She said happily. "I just know it."

Haru followed her gaze and looked at Roxas and Naminé. "Aww shucks." He said crossing his arms and pushing out his bottom lip.

Sakura looked away from the couple and focused on the boy next to her. "What is it?" She asked in concern.

Haru looked up at Sakura and opened his mouth to speak. "I thought that Miss Kibou was cute."

* * *

**So, thanks you guys for reading. :D**

**I know that I said that I would have tried to have this up before I went on vacation, but I honestly ran out of time. :( As you guys can see, this chapter was quite long, and so it took me a while to write. So, I'm sorry that it took so long to update. **

**Another reason it took me so long to update is because I have started to work on the first chapter of the sequel to "Starting Over" The first chapter should be up by October, so look out for that if you're interested. :D  
**

**I also didn't realize my misspelling in the last chapter, and as soon as someone pointed it out I went and fixed it. I'm sorry if I offended anyone by having that typo, I really am sorry. I didn't mean to have that word in any of my stories. **

**Also, if you guys are a fan of 'Sonny With A Chance' check out my studio story called 'A Different Start.' It's from my studio with mspink93, and we call ourselves 'TheBusterSquats' You can get to the profile by looking at my favourite authors. :D**

**And as always, PLEASE REVIEW!** **:) You guys have no idea how happy it makes me. :P**


	4. Chapter 4

Finally! It's Chapter 4! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or The Little Mermaid

However, I do own Sakura :D

* * *

**Paranoia**

_**By: MonkeyGirlxoxo**_

**Chapter #4**

* * *

The night had been hectic; filled with smiles, laughter and even some cake throwing. However, all the fun came to an end at 9:15, when Naminé decided to leave. The artist had claimed that it was late, and in a matter of ten minutes she was saying goodbye to everyone. Roxas had walked her to the door and bid her farewell with a smile, causing the young woman to leave with a deep shade of red on her cheeks. Not long after Naminé left Haru let out a huge yawn. Hayner and Olette took that as their cue to leave, and after saying their goodbyes there were gone. By 10:00 the only guests left were Sora, Kairi and Sakura as Axel and Larxene decided to leave before they got too tipsy. Roxas insisted that his brother's family spent the night, the blond wasn't comfortable with Sora on the road after all the beers he had drank, and in 30 minutes everyone was in bed, exhausted from their long day.

Even though Roxas was tired, he wasn't able to fall asleep as he lay in his bed. His mind was on Naminé. He couldn't seem to understand what had caused her to break down earlier that day, and it was bothering him. He wanted to know what had upset her so badly so that he could get rid of the objet or stop acting that specific way, but no matter how hard he though he couldn't come to a conclusion.

**~~~Kingdom Hearts~~~**

The next morning Roxas woke up to the smell of pancakes. He went to the bathroom to quickly brush his teeth and then started down the hall. As Roxas passed the guest room he saw that Kairi and Sakura were still asleep, the small girl lying against her mother's chest. Roxas smiled and then continued down the hall until he stood in the kitchen. There he found Sora piling some fresh pancakes on a plate.

"Morning." Roxas greeted his brother. The blond sat down on one of the stools behind the island and watched over the counter as the brunette prepared breakfast.

"Hey." Sora called over his shoulder. He flipped one last pancake from the stove in the plate and then turned the stove off before turning around to look at Roxas. He placed the plate he was holding in front of his younger brother, the fork and knife lying across the side of the plate. Sora then walked to the fridge and took out the bottle of syrup from inside.

"Thanks." Roxas said earning a nod from the brunette. He opened the bottle and sprinkled his warm pancakes with the sugary liquid.

"Hey thanks for letting us stay the night." Sora said with a smile.

"No problem." Roxas replied as he stuffed another piece of pancake in his mouth. "So, what's the plan for today?"

His older brother shrugged, "I'm not too sure yet." Sora admitted, "I just know that after Kairi and Sakura eat we're gonna head home and freshen up. After that, the day's free."

"Wouldn't Sakura want to play with her new toys?" Roxas asked as he finished his breakfast.

"That's it!" Sora said with a snap of his fingers, "The presents! I knew I was forgetting something! Thanks man." Sora then passed though the kitchen into the living area.

Roxas got out of his seat and carried his empty pate to the sink. He turned the tap on and let the warm water pass over the dishes and his hands. The only other sound except from the pouring water was the stacking of objects from the living area, where Sora was putting all of Sakura's presents in one of their tote bags. The blond finished washing his dishes and was about to leave the kitchen to help his older brother when two redheads walked into the room. Sakura walked in front of her mother, taking quick light steps as she entered the kitchen. The small girl didn't look tired at all, as if the few hours of sleep she had received had completely energized her. Kairi on the other hand had bags under her blue eyes and Roxas couldn't help but think that her steps into the room looked forced.

"Uncle Roxie!" Sakura exclaimed as soon as her eyes landed on the young man. Her walk turned into a jog and her uncle picked her up in his arms.

"Good Morning." Roxas greeted his niece with a smile. He carried her to the stool where her breakfast sat and put her down in her seat. "Daddy made these fresh this morning for you." Roxas said. Sora had arranged her pancakes in the shape of a flower.

"Really!" Sakura asked in shock. "For me?"

Roxas nodded and then started to drizzle syrup over Sakura's breakfast.

"Wow." Sakura said in disbelief. After Kairi cut the pancakes into small pieces, Sakura began to eat.

"You look a bit tired." Roxas said to his sister in law. He positioned himself so that he was leaning against the island across from the two redheads.

Kairi got up from her seat and carried her empty plate to the sink. "Didn't sleep that well last night." She explained, "I'm not used to having Sakura with us, and so every time she kicked me in her sleep I woke up." She washed her plate and then dried her hands in the kitchen towel. "When we go home I'll just take a nap." Kairi said with a smile.

"Mommy!" Sakura called from her seat at the island. "Mommy, I'm finished!" She cried happily.

"Good job, sweetie." Kairi said in a warm tone, "Can you bring the plate for me please?"

Sakura nodded and then jumped off her stool. Roxas handed her the plate from on top of the island and after thanking her uncle she gave it to her mother. Kairi washed the plate and utensils and then the three entered the living room.

"Sora, honey," Kairi said when she saw her husband. "Are you ready to go?"

The brunette was sitting on the couch, looking through the contents of one of Sakura's bags. "I can't find the present Roxas gave Sakura." He stated. He put the bag down and then turned to look at his wife, "I've searched this room upside down. Where could it be?"

"It's probably outside on the patio." Roxas suggested.

Kairi nodded, "Roxas is right." She confirmed, "Sakura opened her presents outside. We must have forgotten to bring it inside." Roxas' sister in law sighed, "I'll go get it."

"You stay here, I'll get it." Roxas volunteered with a smile. The blond didn't want to give Kairi more work, especially when she had those bags under her eyes. With that said, the twenty one year old started towards the patio doors.

As soon as Roxas opened the doors a cool blast of the morning breeze hit him and he took in a huge breath of fresh air. He walked towards the bench where he had sat with his neighbour the night before and sure enough the Ariel doll was on the seat. Roxas picked up the boxed toy and then turned around to go back inside. However, before he started towards the door something over the fence caught his eyes. Instead of going back inside his house, Roxas ventured deeper into his back yard. When he was close enough, the young man realized his neighbour was down on her knees working on something in her yard.

"Good morning, neighbour!" Roxas greeted her with a playful tone.

Naminé recognized his voice immediately, but he had still startled her, making the young woman jump from her position in the grass.

"Sorry!" Roxas said quickly, "I didn't mean to startle you." He used his free hand to scratch the back of his head, "Sorry."

Naminé looked at him over the fence and smiled, "Good morning." She said kindly with a small nod of her head. With that the artist turned back to her project.

Roxas' eyes wandered as well, and soon he realized that Naminé was planting flowers. "You garden?" He asked.

Naminé turned to look at the young man again, "No." She informed him, "Just objects for my paintings."

"I see." Roxas said nodding. _That's right_. Roxas thought. S_he's an artist_. "I'm sure that the paintings will be great." He said aloud.

His comment made the young woman blush, "Thank you, that's very nice." She said. Her eyes drifted from Roxas' face down to the doll he was holding, "Isn't that the doll you gave your niece yesterday?"

Roxas looked down at the doll, "Yeah," He started, "Sora, Kairi and Sakura spent the night. They're getting ready to go now, but they couldn't find this. Sakura left it on the bench we were sitting on."

"I see." Naminé echoed Roxas' words from a few moments before. _The bench where I was crying,_ she added to herself.

However, the same memory was running through Roxas' head. He then focused his gaze on the young woman's blue eyes. It was then he noticed they were a bit red and puffy. _Was she crying again this morning?_ He worried.

Naminé felt his eyes on her and she suddenly felt embarrassed. She turned back to her flowers once more, allowing her blonde strands to cover her face.

"Well, I should probably get back and give this to Sakura." Roxas said, "I'll see you later, Miss Kibou."

The woman on the other side of the fence looked up quickly to smile at him, "Goodbye Roxas." She said kindly.

The twenty one year old smiled back at her and then turned around to go back inside. Naminé watched him walk to his house and when she heard his patio door close, she sighed. Y_ou're getting better at this Naminé, _she thought to herself. It had been a while since the artist was able to have a conversation with someone, but ever since she had started talking to Roxas; speaking felt less scary, and every time the two blondes shared a conversation she would talk a bit more. Naminé smiled to herself and then continued to work on plating her white roses. "Thank you, Roxas." She whispered.

**~~~Kingdom Hearts~~~**

"Sorry I took so long, guys." Roxas said as he entered the living area. "I was talking to Miss Kibou."

Sora and Kairi, who were sitting on the couch, both looked up to watch Roxas. The second part of his greeting had interest both of them and they were waiting for him to continue. Roxas ignored their stares and approached Sakura. The small red head was sitting at his coffee table with her tea set.

"Here you go, dearest." Roxas said giving her the doll.

"Thank you!" Sakura replied with a grin. She took the box from her uncle and looked through the clear plastic front at the Ariel doll inside, excitement washing over her face.

"You can open that when we go home, okay honey?" Sora said recognizing the look on his daughter's face.

"Daddy's right." Kairi added, "Right now you need to pack up your tea set."

"Okay." Sakura said placing the doll on the ground next to her. She then started to pick up her plastic plates and cups before throwing them into the bag placed by Roxas' feet.

"So, Roxas," Kairi said as he started to help his niece pack up her tea set. "You talked to Naminé this morning?"

"Yup." He answered. Roxas was expecting this; his brother and sister in law were the teasing type.

"What did you two talk about?" Sora asked.

"I asked her what she was gardening and-"

"She gardens?" Kairi questioned.

"No, she said that she was going to use the flowered as objects for her paintings-"

"So, she's artistic?" Sora stated.

Roxas nodded. He then picked up the bag and headed towards the front foyer.

"She seems nice." Kairi said as she entered the foyer holding a bag. The Ariel doll lay at the top of the pile inside the tote bag.

"Very sweet." Sora added walking in with their last bag and Sakura.

"Who, Daddy?" Sakura asked looking at her father.

"Uncle Roxas' neighbour, Miss Kibou." Sora explained.

Sakura turned to her uncle, "Is she the pretty blonde lady, Uncle Roxie?"

"Yes, that's her." Roxas nodded.

Sora looked at his younger brother and raised an eyebrow, "You don't deny that she's pretty?"

Kairi giggled because of her husband's behaviour and she pecked him lightly on the cheek.

Roxas crossed his arms, "Well she's very pretty." He said in defence, but as soon as the words left his lips Roxas knew he made a mistake.

"She's very pretty, huh?" Sora said.

"Sounds like there's an attraction." Kairi added in a sing song voice.

"Guys," Roxas said, " You know I'm not interested in a relationship right now."

"Exactly." Kairi said as she picked up the bag from before. "Not right now."

"But when you do become interested," Sora said opening the front door for his wife, "You'll probably end up with that pretty neighbour of yours."

"Sora!" Roxas said as his face flushing pink.

However, before he could continue the brunette picked up his daughter and bag. "Come on, Sakura!" Sora said playfully, "We gotta go before Uncle Roxas tries to jump Daddy!" Sora then ran out the front door calling a farewell over his shoulder.

Roxas walked to the front door and watched his brother's family enter their yellow Camaro. When the car pulled out of his driveway and started to drive away Roxas closed the door letting out a low sigh. "I'm not interested." He told himself as he walked into the living area. The blond put on the TV and sat down on his couch. The pictures on the screen didn't interest him, and so Roxas turned the TV off and started to focus on the blank screen. He couldn't stop thinking about what Sora and Kairi said. Did they really expect him to fall for his neighbour? He did admit that he thought she was pretty, but was Kairi right? Did that mean there was an attraction? Roxas shook his head from the thought. He was only interested in Miss Kibou as a friend, nothing more. He just wanted to help make her feel more welcome to Twilight Town because that's what friends do.

He got up from the couch and started to walk towards the patio doors. When he stepped outside the cool breeze greeted him once more, and Roxas felt himself start to relax. His eyes drifted to look over the fence and he took a few steps deeper into his backyard. The artist was no longer in her yard, but the small flowers that she had been planting caught Roxas' eye. He inched a bit closer to the fence until he could see the white roses clearly. Their small petals danced in the wind and Roxas was able to get a small sniff of its pleasant aroma.

"A friend." Roxas told himself, "She's my friend."

**~~~Kingdom Hearts~~~**

Naminé stood by her window, holding a glass of cold water in her hands. She was on a five minutes break and was about to go back outside and continue her gardening when she saw Roxas approach the fence. She placed her glass down on a nearby counter and watched him though the window.

What's he doing here? Naminé thought, Is he looking for me? Just the thought made the woman blush.

"She's my friend." Naminé heard his say through her open back door.

The artist placed a hand on the window. "Friend." She repeated with a smile, "I'm his friend."

* * *

**So, I hope you all like this chapter. :D**

**I know it's been a really long time since I've updated this, and I'm really sorry. I wasn't able to work on this, but in the last few days I dedicated myself to finishing this chapter, and here it is. :) **

**I've already started to work on the next chapter, but it may still take a while to update, so please everyone bear with me. **

**Thanks for reading, and please review! **


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